


A Patchwork Heart

by ATTHS_TWICE



Series: Family Life: The Story Beyond the Series [25]
Category: The X-Files
Genre: Diary/Journal, Domestic Fluff, Driving, F/M, Family, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Happy, Love, Memories, Post-Season/Series 11, Post-Season/Series Finale, Sharing, The Unremarkable House (X-Files)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:08:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23263720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ATTHS_TWICE/pseuds/ATTHS_TWICE
Summary: Mulder and Scully share memories of how and when they fell in love with one another. Little places along the way, where pieces of their hearts were given and shared.
Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Series: Family Life: The Story Beyond the Series [25]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1407691
Comments: 14
Kudos: 44





	1. Moments Lived in Miles Traveled

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Untilwefindit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Untilwefindit/gifts).



> For Untilwefindit. Today marks two milestones: a birthday and the 100th story I have written about this show we love so much. I can’t believe I’ve written so many. 
> 
> My friend, you said you would love a story about car rides, and memories shared together, so I’ve been planning this story for months now. I hope you love it. ❤️❤️

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their car breaks down, they must use a rental car. As a result, memories of the past begin to rise to the surface.

_March 2020_

Scully tried not to laugh as she held Faith and watched Mulder struggle to put her car seat into the rental car they were picking up, after his car overheated and they discovered the radiator would need to be replaced. 

The steam coming from his car as they were heading home, still miles away, had led to waiting on a tow truck, the warm spring day feeling even warmer as they waited in the non running car. When the man arrived, he had smiled at Faith, who was intrigued with the big truck and flashing lights. Discovering it was not a simple overheating, but a broken radiator, Mulder had sworn and shook his head. 

The driver had kindly taken them to the nearby rental agency before heading to the dealership, their warranty still thankfully covering the repair. Scully and Faith had waited outside, petting the big furry cat who had been laying in a patch of sun when they arrived, as Mulder picked out the car. 

The cat had pushed at Faith’s hand, purring loudly, wrapping in and out of her legs, and then falling to the ground and rolling onto his back. She had laughed as she bent down and patted his fluffy belly. He had jumped up quickly, pushing his head into her chin, and rubbing against her face. 

“Cat,” Faith had said and Scully grinned as a new word was added to her vocabulary. 

“Yes, baby girl, it’s a cat.” 

Mulder had walked out, scaring the cat and causing it to run across the parking lot. Faith had attempted to chase it, and Scully stopped her, picking her up and kissing her cheeks. 

“Cat,” she had said again, pointing toward the cat who was now licking his front paw. 

“Whoa… she said cat!” Mulder had grinned and blew a raspberry on Faith’s cheek, causing her to laugh and momentarily forget about the cat. 

They had walked to the car and now they stood waiting for him to put the seat in, which was a battle he seemed to be losing. 

“I swear to _God_ ,” he muttered loudly. “This car doesn’t have the hooks for the buckles. How are we supposed… no wait, I found them. Fucking hell…” 

“Hey,” Scully called out to him with a laugh. Glancing down at Faith, she nodded as he looked up.

“As if she can understand me,” he replied, with a roll of his eyes. 

“She said cat a few minutes ago _and_ she said S-H-I-T the other day so… you’re wrong,” she countered, raising her eyebrows at him. 

“She did _not_. Stop saying that she did.” He shook his head with a heavy sigh and she shrugged her shoulders. 

“Sure sounded like it to me,” she teased and he laughed. 

“Maybe _you_ should get your hearing checked. You know, especially as you’ve recently had a birthday. As we age, Scully…” 

“Oh, buddy, no. You’re gonna want to stop right there,” she said, putting up a hand and shaking her head. He grinned and she glared at him. “Your daddy is skating on _very_ thin ice, my girl.” She held her stare as she spoke to Faith and he laughed and shook her head again. “Put the car seat in the car so we can get some lunch. Your ladies are getting hungry.” 

Turning around with a grin, he finally set the seat in the car securely, and came to grab the backpack and place it in the car. Kissing Faith, Scully handed her to Mulder. He nuzzled her neck, causing her to laugh, before he put her in her car seat and shut the door. 

“Let’s get going, old lady,” he teased, looking at her with a grin as he opened the drivers side door. 

She cupped a hand around her ear and turned her head to the side. “What was that? I’m having a hard time hearing you.” She closed her hand, leaving only her middle finger up, and he laughed. 

“Get your ass in the car,” he said, gesturing with his head to the passenger side. 

She smiled and walked over, getting in and taking a deep breath, the scent of rental cars never seeming to change. It was a mixture of faux new car smell, greasy meals, and old cologne and perfumes. An odd combination and others may find it overwhelming or perhaps not even notice, but to her it was a familiar scent and one she found oddly comforting.

He looked at her as he started the car, giving her a wink. Suddenly, she saw him on their first case: younger, no gray hair at his temples, the lines in his face far less prominent. His eager excitement as he continuously cracked open sunflower seeds, something she had found cute and charming, was nearly palpable. 

She saw him staring at her and laughing, or rolling his eyes at something she disagreed with, as he tried to prove his point, and the concentration needed that went into reading a huge fold out map, no smart phones with fancy apps available back then to help them find their way. 

She smiled as they backed up and pulled out of the parking lot, the wind from the open windows blowing cooling air inside the warm car, as Faith babbled in the backseat. She laughed softly as she looked out the window and shook her head. Her mind drifted through her memories, thinking back on the many miles they had traveled together, learning about each other in cars similar to the one they were now driving down the road. 

That first case… so green and without any field experience, she had not known what to expect, but it definitely was not someone like him...

______________

_He filled the silence in the car, chatting about everything. It was very different from any other man she had traveled with in the past. Jack usually had a topic planned ahead of time, thus the car ride was spent wisely, as he used to say. Ethan liked listening to classical music and for the short time they were together, she heard more Bach and Beethoven than she ever wanted to hear again._

_But Mulder, though not her boyfriend, thus not an entirely accurate comparison, loved to discuss anything and everything. Conspiracy theories, current events, old cases, places they each had been, childhood fears... nothing was off topic. She learned more about him than anyone she had ever known in her life, including her family members._

_He was brilliant, his mind absorbing and retaining knowledge in a way she had never seen. He could call up baseball statistics, a case from years ago, addresses, and telephone numbers. He knew her senior thesis by heart, which he rattled off at the strangest of times, never ceasing to amaze her that he knew it so well._

_He knew so much,_ **_about_ ** _so much, it led to conversations that sometimes left her head spinning. After a while she learned to simply nod and stop listening to what he had to say, finding it to be the best way to handle the nonstop chatter._

_It had, of course, backfired on her as he would bring it up later and, at her blank stare, he would sigh and pout with that big bottom lip sticking out, before explaining it all over again. She enjoyed those times, though it was a repeat of what he had already said, his excitement over a topic evident as he rambled and paced around the motel room._

_When he would leave, his mouth finally running out of words to say, she would lie down in bed, wondering if it was normal to go to sleep with the thought of that bottom lip jutting out and those puppy eyes staring at her. He was her partner for God’s sake, and yet his eyes and that lip taunted her._

_They would take turns driving of course, neither of them able to stay awake for hours and hours on end; the towns they visited were sometimes far from commercial airports. The first time he commented about her struggle to adjust the seat, his six foot frame needing more space than her smaller one, her angry eyes quickly shut him up. He never mentioned it the same way again but she saw his grin, his smirk, as she pulled the seat forward and adjusted the back._

_He got his comeuppance though and it always made her laugh. When he would forget about the fact that she had driven last, he would attempt to sit down in a seat that was far too close. His head would hit the roof of the car, his knees hitting the steering wheel, as a curse fell from his lips. Covering her laugh with a cough, he would curse again as he moved the seat back._

_When she was the driver, he was able to read and most often would share the information with her. Sometimes it was about the case, but other times it was about a book he had read, or an article he found interesting in the paper. As he tended to drone on at times, his words tumbling over themselves, his voice becoming louder in his excitement, she would call for the agreed upon ten minutes of silence._

_One night when they had been upset, angry, and extremely tired, they agreed that if silence was called for, the other had to adhere to the request for at least ten minutes. Oftentimes, the other person would agree without any problems, but some days he was not so acquiescent._

_If he had a topic he was dying to discuss and she had called for silence, he would check his watch, making sure he would know when the allotted time would be up. With him not talking, sometimes the pressing quiet in the car would then become too much. Turning on public radio, she would breathe a sigh of relief, finding it refreshing to have something else to focus on besides the silence or the topic of his choosing._

_When the radio was on, they would generally both become engrossed in the story they heard, forgetting why the call for silence had been asked for in the first place. In those occurrences, the ten minute call for silence would have long since passed as the show ended. A lively discussion would then take place over what they had just heard, the miles rumbling beneath them and carrying them forward._

_When she became ill, she noticed a change in him. He was quiet, especially when they drove, their lively discussions halted, as if he did not want to disturb her, or cause any undue problems. She felt how he withheld things from her at times, his frustration or his anger, and she hated it. Hated being treated differently because she had a disease inside of her._

_She was tired after the treatments, sometimes for just a bit and other times for days after. She fell asleep in the office a couple of times, his hand laid gently on her shoulder waking her up, his eyes sad and concerned. She pushed away from him, away from those sad hazel eyes, walking down the hall to the restroom, where she allowed herself a cry before splashing cold water on her face._

_In a meeting, she had dozed off, and he ever so slightly touched her arm and whispered her name, letting her know that she had fallen asleep without any other words spoken. Her cheeks flushed but she was unable to rush out of the room like she had in the office. He kept his eyes straight ahead, but she knew exactly how they would look at her if he turned his head. Broken and scared; exactly how she felt._

_After those times, he began to drive more often when they were out of town. No discussion had between them, he simply took over the lion’s share of what they were doing. She tried to stay awake and be the navigator as she always had been, but she failed. He never said a word, instead he turned the radio on low or remained silent, allowing her to sleep, knowing she was exhausted, but would not discuss it._

_With a general knowledge of how long it would take for them to get from point A to point B, some days when she was nauseous and had a hard time not vomiting, she would feel the car slowing and the drive taking longer, in order to allow her to be_ **_her_ ** _when she arrived to work on the case._

_There were small plastic trash bags in his suitcases which he placed in the glove box of any rental car they used, along with packs of tissues. Just in case, he would say, not meeting her eyes, closing the glove box softly. While a part of her wanted to scream that she could take care of herself, that she did not need his help, she knew that it was not true. Not always._

_He carried gum and mints in his pockets, silently handing them to her after she had thrown up either outside the car door or into one of the plastic bags he so thoughtfully packed. He always took one for himself, thus making it seem as though only_ **_she_ ** _needed it. His caring both annoyed and meant the world to her._

 _On one of the rare nights she did drive, he made a comment about switching places as she looked tired, and she snapped. She did not need his worry, his attempt to hold her back, she would not stop driving or working for that matter, even if_ **_he_ ** _felt she should. He said nothing, letting her yell and release her frustration, something that had been building for a while she realized, as she ran out of steam and finally fell silent._

_Turning her head to look at him, she found him staring at her, his eyes hurt and sad. He said nothing, and she knew she had gone too far. He had been nothing but supportive since it had all happened, and while she did not like the feeling of not being in control and at times, less than, she appreciated the little things he did._

_Feeling like shit, but unable and unwilling to apologize, she kept her eyes on the road, the motel not far away. When they pulled in, he stopped her from leaving the car with a hand on hers as she unbuckled her seat belt. He stared at her, trying to say words, but failing to articulate them._

_“I need to be here, Mulder,” she whispered, squeezing his hand and dropping her eyes. He squeezed back with a nod._

_After that moment, she was more accepting, if that was how it could be described, of his help and care. He never said it, but his eyes watching her and the silent things he did, were not unnoticed._

Scully shook her head, tears in her eyes, as she looked out the window. What a different time it had been, and how different they had been. She released her breath, and in the silence of the car, Faith most likely sleeping in her car seat, she thought again of days spent with him in cars similar to the one they were in now…

_They sat together in traffic jams, through heated discussions about whatever came to mind. Times when silence was heavy and filled with worry or times when it was light and welcome. There were times when they laughed, both of them overly tired with miles to go before they reach their destination._

_Days of worn out bodies, exhausted injury, standing beside the rental attendant explaining the mess in their car. Being yelled at by Skinner, or Kersh, over the complaints from the rental companies._

_There were days when the weather was freezing but the heater did not work and his coat was offered to her as she shivered. Then there were days when the heat was unbearable and the air conditioner was on the fritz. His coat was not needed then, nor was her own as she stripped it off and threw it in the backseat along with her dress shirt sometimes, sitting in the car in just a lace camisole, causing him to swallow hard._

_There were places where the rain came down so hard, they had to nearly yell to be heard above it. Or decide when to make a run for it as the lack of umbrellas would lead to wet clothes if they were not fast enough. Then the days came when wet clothes were welcome, as it led to stripping and warming each other up._

_They traveled many miles together and along those miles and bumpy roads, she fell in love with him. In cafés, diners, interrogation rooms, watching him with children, how he spoke to women, his kindness and care in his voice. All those places, she fell in love with him, but nowhere so much as in those stuffy, and often smelly, rental cars as they drove all over the country._

_Back roads, highways, interstates, surface streets, his voice singing along with the radio, droning on about his theories, or softly telling her of his worry for her, simple words that spoke volumes._

_Within the confines of the four doors, they learned the give-and-take that became the cornerstone of the partnership. Respect, admiration, and understanding traveled with them, the car their touchstone, their way to re-center when everything around them was chaotic…_

“Hey, Scully?” Mulder's voice said, breaking into her thoughts. “What do you want for lunch?” 

“Anywhere is fine,” she said, wiping at her eyes discretely, though her tears were happier than before. 

“Italian?”

“Anything,” she answered, looking at him with a smile, reaching for his hand and locked their fingers together giving it a squeeze. He turned his head to look at her and gave her a quizzical look. 

“What?” he asked and she shook her head.

“Nothing,” she replied with a smile of her own. “Nothing at all.” He smiled, his eyes back on the road and she saw again, the young excitable agent, out to save the world. 

Closing her eyes, she saw through the years, all the different versions of him, and she smiled, happy to have known each of them.

Opening her eyes, she looked at him as he was now, the best version of himself; still him, yet older and wiser. 

“Still gonna tell me it’s ‘nothing’ with the way you’re staring at me?” he teased, squeezing her hand. 

“Yup,” she said, smiling as he looked at her, his eyes happy. He laughed and nodded with a sigh. “Just keep driving.” 

“Yes ma’am,” he said, raising her fingers to his lips for a kiss, as he stepped on the gas, going wherever the road took them. 


	2. Pieces of His Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mulder reads to Scully all the places he has “lost” pieces of his heart to her over the years.

Mulder sat on the porch swing, the newly minted spring air still a bit chilly. He could hear Scully inside, through the partially opened front door, as she cleaned up Faith’s toys and talked to Bella about their day. 

He smiled as he listened, wondering if she knew how much she talked to Bella. She carried on full one sided conversations and it was absolutely adorable. He worried if he called attention to it, she might stop, so he kept his mouth shut and his ears open. 

Glancing over at the rental car, the reason he had sought the quiet of the cool outside, and he shook his head. He sighed as he looked down at the notebook in his lap and the words he had scrawled hastily at times and slowly and precisely, needing to get every detail correct. 

It was strange how a rental car could ignite memories the way it had, but it did, and he would be foolish to ignore the words that demanded to be written down. 

The screen door creaked open and he looked up to see Scully and Bella came out to join him. He smiled at them both as Scully sat down beside him, smiling back as the swing began to move. 

“You’ve been out here for awhile, whatcha doing?” she asked, reaching for his hand and putting her head on his shoulder. 

“Well…” he started to say, but stopped as they heard whining, and he leaned forward and found Bella by their feet, staring at him with her big puppy eyes. 

He stopped the swing and bent to pick her up, her body wiggling as she tried to lick him. She was like a little corkscrew at times, her body winding around and around in her excitement. He set her between them and she settled down as he rubbed her ears. Scully sighed and looked at her with a smile. 

“I absolutely made the right decision,” she said, petting her back and he laughed. 

“Of which you have mentioned many times in the last few months,” he said with a laugh.

“Just want it to be known.” 

“Uh huh,” he laughed and she grinned. 

“So what _are_ you up to out here, Mulder? Aren’t you cold?” she asked and he shook his head.

“Well, maybe a bit, but I needed to collect my thoughts.” 

“And write them down?” she asked, picking up the notebook and flipping through some of the pages. 

“Yeah.” 

“What is this?” she asked, looking at him curiously. 

“Well, you might call it spooky but,” he said with a sheepish grin. “Today I… I don’t know, there was something about-”

“The rental car?” she asked and his eyes widened. 

“Yes! How did you know?”

“I… I don’t know, it _was_ weird, spooky even, but when we got in today… I don’t know, it was like we had gone back in time. As though I could see us and how much of our lives we spent in cars so similar to that one. I thought of so many places, conversations, how I felt driving along dark highways and busy city streets with you…” She trailed off, looking into the distance. 

“Exactly,” he whispered, shaking his head, with a laugh. 

She shook her head and looked at him with a smile. “We spent a large portion of our lives traveling in cars like that one or in motel rooms with scratchy sheets and towels.” 

“I know. And… that was what sparked my need to write it down. There is no way to put our memories into words that will be the same as living it, but I want her to know how our life was. The story I started for her last year, it is more about our cases we worked on but that,” he said, gesturing toward the rental car in the driveway, “ _that_ is us.” He looked at her and she smiled. 

“I wanted to write it down, to have the tangible proof to show Faith how and where I fell in love with you. To tell her a story of all the places where I lost my heart along the way.” He looked at her with a smile and she raised her eyebrows at him. 

“ _All_ the places? Is there more than one?” 

“Oh, Scully… You really have no idea do you?” She smiled at him as he took the notebook from her, flipping through the pages, and starting at the beginning…. 

_____________________

_Oregon_

_She stood with him in the graveyard, the rain pouring down, and a huge smile on her face. In that moment, though he did not mean nor plan to, he fell in love with her._

_She had been assigned to work with him, to report back her findings on the cases he investigated. They wanted her to debunk the validity of his work and shut him down. At the moment however, it did not look as though that carefully constructed plan would work the way they wanted._

_She was there. She may not believe the way he did, but she had not shaken her head or thrown up her hands and left._

_At least not yet._

_Having no field experience, he had been curious how she would do. She had been a quick study, and fallen into it with little ease. Small in stature, she commanded a large presence, and he was happy to give it to her._

_Now, standing in the rain, the freezing water running down both their faces, she began to laugh. Not at him, of that he was sure. No, she was laughing at how the crazy ideas he had laid out, now made sense. They underestimated her, and he could see it happening before his eyes. She was listening, even if she did not completely believe as readily as he did._

_Watching her laughing, the sound of it like beautiful music, he knew how dangerous it was to fall in love with a colleague, but he could not stop it if he tried. She was simply adorable in the soaking wet jacket that was too big for her, her hair in a ponytail which made her look much younger than she was, and the beautiful smile on her face._

_And she was listening to him._

_How could he not lose his heart to her just a little?_

________________________

_Iowa_

_They sat at a table waiting for their flight, Scully was tired and nearly falling asleep. He watched her fight against it, her chin in her hand and he smiled. Moving her cup out-of-the-way, he continue to look at her. She was not wearing much make up and he could see her freckles. She looked younger when he could see them, like a fresh faced college student. Sighing, she opened her eyes and sat up as she found him watching her._

_“What? Why are you staring at me?” He shook his head and shrugged. She frowned and rolled her neck. “As soon as we get on this plane, I’m going right to sleep.”_

_“Just try not to drool on me.”_

“ _How dare you suggest I drool,” she said, her voice scratchy with sleep. He smiled and she put her chin back in her hand. “I’m so tired.”_

_He nodded and then their flight was called. They got up and walked to the gate and stopped as they waited to walk onto the plane. As they sat down, and buckled their seat belts, she closed the window and leaned her head on his shoulder. He smiled and closed his eyes, tired himself. She sighed and shifted a little, getting more comfortable._

_“Wake me when we land,” she said quietly._

_“If I’m not drowning in drool,” he teased and she exhaled a laugh, but did not move._

_She was asleep before they took off and he recognized once again that a little piece of his heart seemed to have been left at a table in a small airport in Iowa._

______________________

_Washington D.C._

_Another expense report meeting, dull and soul crushing. Two other agents had joined to also discuss their expenses. Two men, Agents Burke and Mills, whom he had never cared for._

_He had endured their mocking but one day in the locker room, after a basketball game, he had overheard Burke saying something rude about Scully. As Mulder came around the lockers and he saw him, the laughing stopped and Burke's smile disappeared._

_“What was that you were saying, Burke?” He asked, walking closer to him. “I don’t think I heard you clearly.”_

_“Hey, man, it was just a joke.”_

_“Huh, and yet I’m not laughing. Maybe I missed the punchline.”_

_“Don’t do this, man.”_

_“Me? Don’t do this? Hadley, how about you tell me the joke that seems to be so funny,” he said turning to another agent._

_“Come on, Mulder. It was just…”_

_“A joke, yeah I’ve heard, except it’s not. It’s rude, it’s degrading, and it’s wrong. I don’t care that you think that since she didn’t hear what you said, that it doesn’t matter, the problem is that you were saying it. And it’s about_ **_my_ ** _partner, so you and I have a problem.”_

_They stared at each other and then Burke looked away, saying nothing._

_“Any of you got something to say?” No one said anything and Mulder shook his head. “Keep it that way.” He walked away and they stayed silent._

_Now, Burke kept glancing at him and he knew Scully noticed, if her glances to him meant anything. He ignored her as he stared at Burke, not backing down._

_When they broke for lunch, Burke hightailed it out of the room and Mulder laughed bitterly under his breath. Scully stared at him and it caused him to sigh, knowing he owed her an explanation._

_“Gina’s?” he asked, knowing she liked that place. She stared at him and nodded. “Let’s go eat and I’ll tell you.”_

_As they ate, she listened to his story and she sighed uncomfortably, but did not seem as upset as he thought she would be._

“ _This doesn’t bother you?” he asked almost angrily._

_“You think it doesn’t bother me?” she asked in disbelief._

_“You don’t seem perturbed.”_

_She laughed bitterly and shook her head._

_“Mulder, it’s not the first time or the last that some asshole man thinks it’s okay to joke about a woman he would_ **_never_ ** _have a chance to bed,” She shrugged and he stared at her. “Trust me, he would have no shot and it makes him crazy. Makes all men crazy when they can’t have something they find desirable.”_

_She picked up the check and gave it to the waiter. “Doesn’t make it hurt less or make it right, but…” She looked at him with almost sad eyes and he hated Burke more in that moment than any other._

_Hated his own gender a little for that matter._

_They went back to the office and Scully made a point of saying hello to Burke and smiling kindly, taking him by surprise. He glanced at Mulder, who nodded at him, letting him know that she knew. His face reddened, and he sat far away from them. Just before the meeting began, Scully winked at Mulder and it felt as though another piece of his heart was left in the meeting room._

____________________

_Maine_

_He was angry with her, so very angry. A case with a missing child was always harder on him than others and she knew it. Normally, she would treat him gentler, but this time she acted as though his feelings did not matter. She made a cutting remark about his past and he had to physically walk away from her. He could feel her eyes following him, but he did not turn around and look at her._

_He got in the car, driving away, not caring if it left her stranded. She could find her own way back to the motel, he needed time away from her and the case._

_He drove until he found himself at the coast, the waves crashing angrily. He got out of the car and stood looking out at the water. The wind whipped around him and he shivered in his suit jacket._

_The gray of the day, the chill of the weather, and now the ocean air made him think of the little girl they were trying to find. He knew the statistics and yet… He hoped against the odds, but he knew it was most likely an empty hope._

_He hated these cases at times. Hated how they pulled at him, left him empty, even as others found the answers they sought after._

_Closing his eyes, he shook his head, his anger beginning to subside. Scully had been right, he knew it, but her words hurt, causing him to abandon her and drive away._

_He listened to the familiar sounds of waves crashing against the shore and breathed deeply as he did. He remembered how the sound brought him peace when he was younger. The days he would ride his bike to the beach when the silence at home became too loud._

_Shaking his head, he opened his eyes, watching the waves for a bit, before getting in the car and driving back to the police station, sure she would have left already._

_Walking inside, he heard her voice and waited until she saw him to let her know he was there._

_She sighed and excused yourself to walk over to him. Staring at him as she stepped closer, she touched his arm lightly, her eyes telling him she was sorry. He nodded and glanced back toward the officers, but her grip tightened and he looked back at her. She shook her head and he dropped his own._

_“No news yet, Mulder,” she said quietly. “No news is good.” He nodded, not looking at her. “Let’s get out of here.”_

_He looked up at her and she smiled slightly, before he looked back again and she pushed him gently toward the exit._

_He let her lead him out and he handed her the keys. She touched his back as they stepped in front of each other, switching spots. He was quiet as they drove and she said nothing to break the silence._

_Almost to the hotel, she stopped at a drive-through and grabbed some food, ordering for both of them, without asking what he wanted._

_Pulling into the motel, they each grabbed a bag and the drinks. He followed her into her room and they ate, not speaking, finding comfort in the silence._

_They cleaned up and he started to go to his room, through the adjoining door. She stopped him and he looked at her. She sighed and he touched her upper arm, knowing what she was trying to say._

_“I know, Scully. It’s okay,” he whispered._

_She nodded and then stepped forward and embraced him. He was surprised but hugged her back, hearing her soft apology as they stood there in the quiet of the room. She stepped back and he walked into his room, closing the door behind him, leaving a piece of his heart in her room, for her to heal, as only she could._

________________________

_Washington state_

_She had been unfazed for most of the case. Seeing the incandescent bugs however, and realizing that they were all over everything, including them, seemed to be her undoing._

_She had flailed about, yelling for him to get them off of her and only seemed to calm down when he physically held her, to stop her from breaking the one remaining light, that kept them out of the dark._

_He calmed her down and she was quiet as they sat on the cot together. He watched her and thought of how she kept surprising him with her ability to stick around with the cases they investigated. This one… he was worried they might not make it, but did not want to show it._

_They had made it, however, and when he was well enough to leave his quarantine room, he watched over her for three days before she woke up, her eyes asking questions, as she was unable to speak at first._

_“You’re okay,” he whispered, and she nodded, closing her eyes. Her hand came out from under the blankets, and reached for his, causing him to smile as he grasped her hand._

_She sighed and he squeezed slightly. She squeezed back and fell asleep. He watched her sleep and felt again the way he had in a wet and muddy graveyard. He did not want to do it, tried to stop it, but a piece of his heart was lost to her once again, in a quarantine hospital in Washington state._

______________________

“So, that’s five different states, where you feel you lost a piece of your heart to me?” she asked, staring at him with a smile as he laughed softly.

“Well, _losing_ sounds like the wrong word,” he said with a smile. “Because I didn’t lose my heart, as you can’t _lose_ something, if you freely give it.” She smiled, shaking her head as she laid it back on his shoulder. 

“What? No comeback? You’re not going to say that I’m cheesy or that my words are gross?” She laughed and then sighed.

“I’m turning over a new leaf here, Mulder, I’ll allow the mushy…” He shifted and she sat forward to look at him. “To a point, so… tread lightly.” He laughed again and they sat back, the porch swing moving slowly. 

A few minutes passed and he sighed, petting Bella as he rested his head against Scully’s. 

“It is getting cold. Do you want to go inside?” he asked and she sighed.

“No, not yet. I’m thinking about the places you wrote down and it’s interesting. They seem so commonplace and unimportant. I don’t mean they were, don’t get me wrong… but it’s such _normal_ times and yet to you, they were special and important and I love that.” He hummed in agreement and they were quiet for a few minutes. 

“How about this? Why don’t you go make us some tea and bring out a blanket?” she said, sitting up and looking at him, as she took the notebook and the pen. “Leave this here with me. I have some things I’d like to add to our story.”


	3. Pieces of Her Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not to be outdone, Scully adds the places where her heart has been “lost” along the way.

Picking up the pen and turning the pages, Scully read again the words he had written down. She remembered the time in Maine, and how angry he had been when he left. As soon as he had, she knew she had pushed too far, but she had seen how he was beginning to tumble down the rabbit hole. 

It was harsh and she knew it hurt him, but it also snapped him out of his thoughts, causing him to focus on her. He had clenched his jaw and it made her heart feel as though it was clenched as well. 

How odd it would be that in such an angry and hurt moment, he would consider that a moment of love. As he had left her motel room and gone to his own, she wanted to go to him, but knew it would be wrong. He would have stayed if he had wanted, but he had needed some time. She had stood by her door waiting to see if he would open his own and come back. He had not, but she stayed standing there for a while, worried for him.

Turning the page to an empty one, she picked up the pen and wrote down: Quantico, D.C hearing, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Virginia, Idaho. She looked at them knowing exactly what they meant to _her_ , as Mulder joined her, a blanket over his arm and carrying two cups of tea.

Handing hers to her, he set his on the railing and covered her with the blanket. He picked up his cup and sat beside her, putting the blanket over his own legs.

“So, how did you do?” He grinned and she smiled, letting the cup warm her hands

“Better than you. How many did you have? Five? Hmm…” She shrugged and smiled. “I got six, but who’s counting?”

“You, apparently.” He laughed, bumping her shoulder.

“Just saying,” she said, taking a drink as he pushed the swing slightly with a quiet laugh. 

“Mm-hmm,” he hummed and she chuckled. “But, Scully, it’s so much more than five times or even a hundred. It was ongoing and continues to be so.” 

“Hmmm… but I still got more... in writing,” she teased. 

“Ha! Well, let’s see.” He took the notebook from her and opened it to the page where the pen had been laid as a marker. “Oh yes I see, seven words, six places. Yes, you definitely beat me.” He closed the notebook and she took it back with her eyes narrowed. He laughed as she set the notebook beside her.

“Oh, you will be beat. I will be victorious,” she said and gave him a look. He howled with laughter and she joined in as they drank their tea and rocked in the swing.

“Do you think other people behave this way?” she asked, thinking of Elise and her husband, or any of her past friends.

“How do you mean?”

“Do you think other couples argue over the things we do? That they try to outdo… _love_? That they have bets the way we do? Or more importantly, the standing reward when we win?” He laughed again and shook his head. 

“First of all, we didn’t state there was a bet, no wage has been placed, although I know it never really _needs_ to be stated,” he said as they both laughed. “And no, I don’t know about others, Scully. But what I _do_ know, is that it’s certainly not a question I would ask anyone. ‘Hey do you and your wife/partner have bets where the reward/payment is oral sex?’ Yeah, I could _definitely_ see myself asking that question.” She laughed loudly and he winked at her. 

They drank their tea and sat in silence for a few minutes.

“Do you want to head in now?”

“No, not just yet. I want to write a bit, expand on my seven words,” she teased and he smiled. “I also want our girl to know it wasn’t ever just one sided. There are pieces of my heart across this country too. Not literally, of course.” He scoffed and she smiled. Taking her cup from her and kissing her forehead, he got up and walked inside, smiling at her as he did.

Covering up a little more with the blanket, she picked up the notebook and opened it. Looking at the list of places, she picked one and began to write. 

______________________

_Quantico_

_Teaching at Quantico was something she enjoyed, always had. Now though, after being in the field, especially having been with Mulder, it lacked a certain appeal._

_She liked it, yes, but it was not the same. However, she was an FBI agent, so she went where she was told. Of course, they were not partners, but Mulder was still contacting her, still writing reports for her to read and gain her opinion and expertise._

_When he came in with his new “partner,” her heart sank at the sight of him. Not until she saw with her own eyes, did she believe there was a chance they would be back together._

_After they left, she kept at her work, but her heart was not in it. Taking a break, she left the room for a coffee._

_When he called later, she teased him, asking about his “new partner” and his responses made her smile. Under all the jokes, she heard that he missed her as she missed him. Neither seemed keen to hang up, but eventually she did.  
_

_Smiling, her heart felt different than before- happy and light, something she had not felt in a long time. She would have denied it, if anyone said anything, but it felt like love._

_________________________

_Washington D.C._

_Sitting alone at the senate subcommittee hearing, as questions were asked regarding Mulder’s whereabouts, she remained silent no matter how they continued their questioning. Even if she knew, she would not tell them. He was her partner and she would not give him up._

_They stared her down as she continued to remain silent and then she heard his voice behind her. Turning around quickly, she saw him and her breathing increased as her heart pounded._

_He had a bloody spot on his head, evidence of some trouble he had escaped from, but good God, the sight of him shook her to her core. She always saw him as a handsome man, but in that moment, she saw him as more than that; he made her very blood tingle._

_As he walked past and sat close to her, she could smell him, and it made her lose her train of thought. He was okay, alive, and goddamn, did she want to embrace him._

_Do more, if she was completely honest with herself._

_As they left the hearing room, she told him what she had learned and what she believed was happening. He accepted without hesitation and they hurried outside, hailing a taxi to the airport, asking after what had happened to him._

_She looked at his head, touching his face gently, when what she had really wanted to do was climb into his lap and kiss him, not caring about the taxi driver or any repercussions. She wanted him more than she would have ever had thought possible._

_She physically put her hands under her legs to stop herself from touching him further, needing to remain professional._

_But, in that moment, she recognized that no one else made her feel the way he did._

_No one._

_Without even trying, he had taken a piece of her heart when he left and as he walked into that hearing room, it was as though he was bringing it back to her._

__________________________

_Virginia_

_Sitting in Jackson’s bedroom, looking at his pictures, the things he had up on the walls and on the shelves, she knew he was William, knew it without any confirmation. There_ **_had_ ** _to have been a reason she was seeing the things she was seeing._

_He was calling to her._

_As she left the room, the snow globe in her pocket, she ran into Mulder and he stroked her face, nodding at her before putting his hand on her back as they walked down the stairs._

_At the hospital, as the body of their son lay on the table beside them, Mulder’s arms around her were all that were keeping her from falling over. As he led her out of the room and they walked down the hall, he kept an arm around her._

_As they arrived at the lab, he stopped her, looking into her eyes._

_“Whatever these tests show, if it’s not him,_ **_we_ ** _will find him Scully. If it is him… Well, we’ll cross that bridge in two hours.” She nodded and sniffled. “Whatever the outcome,_ **_we_ ** _will get through it.” She looked at him and he nodded, put a hand on her shoulder and rested his forehead against hers gently._

“ _Scully,” he whispered, and she heard so much in those two syllables. His love, worry, care, concern, and fears. Above all, she heard his love and she stepped closer, laying her head on his chest. She held him, unable to speak, far too overcome with emotions to say anything._

_He sighed and held her until she pulled away, wiping her eyes and nodding. He glanced at the doors to the lab and she said she needed the restroom, knowing she could not face dropping off Jackson’s samples._

_Using the bathroom, she washed her hands and wiped at her face. Looking at her reflection, she sighed and dried her hands. Walking out the door, she found Mulder waiting for her. Putting his arm around her shoulders, he led her to the waiting area._

_As she sat on the couch, he nodded and said he would be right back. He returned soon with coffees for both of them, setting them on the table. Sitting down beside her, he sighed and she put her head on his shoulder._

_“Two hours, give or take,” he whispered, and she nodded against his shoulder. His hand found hers and interlocked their fingers._

_Everyone continued on around them, their lives not concerned with the two people on the couch whose hearts were simultaneously hopeful and breaking, as they waited for lab results to know for certain if the body down the hall was their son._

___________________________

_Oklahoma_

_They were called in to help with a case involving a possible string of bombings in Oklahoma. As they listened to the agent in charge, Mulder sighed, shifting his weight back and forth. Still not back on the X-Files, he felt every case but those were a waste of their time._

_She gripped his elbow and he glared at her, his eyes annoyed. She raised her eyebrows and he nodded with a sigh, his movements stilling._

_Dispersing a few moments later, he guided her to the door with a hand on her back, when someone called her name. Turning around, she saw Thomas Schaeffer walking towards them._

_He shook her hand, a big smile on his face as he asked how she was doing. She smiled back and gripped his hand. He had been in a couple of her classes at Quantico and they had also been in a study group together._

_He told her he was called in from the field office in Atlanta and they laughed at an old joke. Mulder cleared his throat, and she introduced them, noticing how Mulder gripped his hand tighter than normal. Annoyed at his actions, she made a point to remember to talk to him about it later._

_Thomas walked away soon after, with plans for them to catch up later. Scully stared at Mulder and he shrugged as she rolled her eyes and walked away, ready to help with the case._

_Later at the motel, she was lying on the bed when Thomas knocked at the door, looking to grab a bite to eat at the diner next door. She agreed and they walked across the way. He was staying at the motel too, as were most of the other agents._

_Over salads and the special of the day, he told her about his wife and twin daughters. He hated being away from them, but knew that was the job. She smiled and he showed her some pictures, as she exclaimed over how cute they were, with their big green eyes and blonde curls._

_As they walked back to her room, Mulder stepped out of his own room. He stared at them, his eyes moving from one to the other. Thomas said good night and continued onto his room._

_“You guys had that catch-up then?” he asked and she nodded, keeping her expression neutral. “That’s good.”_

“ _Yeah. I’ve always liked him. He was fun at Quantico, and always kept us laughing.”_

_“Oh, he’s funny, huh?” he asked, looking toward Thomas’s room. “He’s in the Atlanta office, yeah?”_

_“Hmm, yeah.”_

_“Long way from D.C.,” he said, his foot tapping quietly, his eyes still on Thomas’s door. She bit back a smile and nodded._

_“He likes it there. His girls are in a good school and his wife has a great job.” Mulder’s head whipped around to look at her as she crossed her arms and bit her cheek; his relief obvious as he tried to hold back a smile._

_“Oh, that’s… nice. Good for him.” They stared at each other and he cleared his throat. “So you ate already?” He looked towards the diner and she nodded._

_“But, I didn’t have any dessert.”_

_“Well, that’s just unacceptable,” he said and she smiled, before pressing her lips together. “Do they have pie?”_

“ _I don’t know, as I didn’t eat dessert,” she reminded him and she rolled her eyes._

_“Let’s remedy that then, shall we?” He gestured for her to walk ahead of him and she stepped forward, his hand landed on her back, his fingers rubbing softly, causing her pulse to race._

_______________________

_Minnesota_

_There were many times that they were sick. Being on the road, not always sticking to a balanced diet, and spending time out in all kinds of weather. Both of them suffered through colds, continuing to work, unless they were no longer able_ _to do so. The worst time though, had been when Mulder had a very high fever in the middle of a terrible snowstorm._

_They were stuck in a small town, with no hope of leaving. He was sick, sleeping most of the day as she checked on him and made sure he was okay. He was so hot and her supplies were limited._

_With a lack of medication, she cooled him with a washcloth, wiping his chest, back, arms, neck and face. He mumbled and moaned as she did, shivering despite his ever rising body temperature._

_The heat in the rooms died as the power went out, plunging them into darkness as the snow howled outside. She moved into his room, bringing along all of the blankets from her bed. She was freezing, even with the many layers of clothes she had on. She laid close to him in his bed, his heat warming her._

_Waking up at four in the morning, the dark surrounding her, she felt his face and found it to be cool to the touch. She smiled and moved closer as his arm went around her and her name fell from his lips._

________________

“Hey.” 

She jumped, as he walked out and sat down beside her. Setting down the pen, she closed the notebook, but he took it from her, flipping through the pages. 

He hummed and then sighed, shaking his head. She looked at what caught his eye and she saw it was the entry from when he had been so sick.

“I don’t remember much about those couple of days,” he said, and she nodded in agreement. 

She took the notebook from him and closed it, setting it beside her and laying her head on his shoulder.

“I didn’t finish my list,” she said as the swing began to move, and he laughed.

“So, it’s a draw?”

“Not hardly. You interrupted me or I would have finished.”

“Hmm, You’ve been out here over an hour. Your hands are freezing,” he said, taking one into his own, rubbing it gently before raising it to his lips.

“Maybe a bit, but still, I was nearly done so I’m taking the win on this one.” He laughed again and nodded kissing her knuckles.

“I am more than happy to concede. More than happy.” She chuckled and then they fell silent, before she sighed and huffed out of breath. 

“What?”

She shook her head and squeezed his hand. “It’s just… Seeing it all in black and white, thinking back on my own memories, it took us so long to get there. I loved you for so long and obviously you loved me and yet…” He nodded and sighed. 

“You’re not supposed to fall in love with your partner,” he whispered.

“No, you’re not, but we were pretty good at breaking the rules.”

“I’ll say,” he said with a laugh and she chuckled softly. “It all happened when it was supposed to, Scully, even if we never said or acted on it, we knew. I knew anyway.”

“I knew, of course I did. It’s just…”

“What?”

“All that amazing sex we could’ve been having, Mulder,” she moaned and he let out a huge laugh. 

“While true, I’d say we’ve more than made up for it. Remember that trailer we had? God, we had a lot of sex in that thing.”

“It _was_ the best way to pass the time.”

“And it was hot as hell. God, you were so naked all the time,” he hummed and she laughed. “So naked.”

They fell silent again and rocked the swing, her head on his shoulder and their fingers interlocked.

“Maybe we _don’t_ include the sexy trailer story in this book of love for our daughter to read,” she said, and he nodded in agreement.

Sitting up and rising from the porch swing, they started to collect their things to head inside. It was much warmer in the house and it felt good after being outside for so long. She dropped the blanket on the couch and stood in the living room.

“You know, even with all these moments in time, pieces of our hearts, whatever you want to call it, it’s all figurative of course. We can’t literally lose pieces of our hearts. A heart is not shaped the way it’s portrayed anyways. It has ventricles…”

“Ohhh…” He groaned loudly and she looked at him, his head dropped back as he washed their mugs. “Don’t bring your doctor logic into this, please.” He turned to look at her as he put the mug on the side rack, picking up a dish towel and drying his hands as he shook his head

“It’s the truth,” she said, trying not to smile and she walked towards him, crossing her arms 

“And boring and unromantic,” he noted, stepping closer to her and she smiled, glancing up at him. “Very unromantic, Miss Scully.” She uncrossed her arms and looped them around his neck. He kissed her and she hummed against his lips. He stared at her and she grinned. 

“What was the point of your very unromantic observation?”

“My point was,” she said, as she pushed at him, causing him to fall onto a dining room chair, and she straddled him, his hands landing on her hips. “If a heart was in fact shaped as we are led to believe, and we were equating our stories to losing pieces, would it not stand to reason that our hearts are empty or no longer whole?” She raised her eyebrows at him, his thumbs rubbing the skin under her shirt. 

“Hmm,” he breathed. “While that is incredibly hot and… I love you getting all science-y on me… I think you’re thinking incorrectly.”

“Oh?”

“Mmm-hmm,” he said, his thumbs moving in slow circles, causing her body to react, as her breath caught and she exhaled heavily.

“How am I mistaken then?”

“Hmm,” he said, his thumbs moving higher as she pushed into him slightly. “Well, maybe I said it incorrectly too. I said I lost a piece of my heart, but I think what I meant was… It was given to you.” He smiled at her and she wrinkled her brow. 

“It’s not that I _lost_ my heart and the pieces were _left_ there, but more like, we were there and the piece of my heart that fell for you, was freely given to you.” She smiled and he wrapped his hands behind her back, and under her shirt, locking his fingers together.

“It doesn’t quite answer the question I asked,” she said, with the teasing grin. “Even if you gave it freely, wouldn’t your heart be empty or rather holey, like a Swiss cheese heart?”

He laughed and pulled her closer, her head resting on his chest, her arms tucking in and grasping his shirt. He sighed deeply and she closed her eyes, feeling him breathe. 

“No, I wouldn’t liken it to a Swiss cheese heart,” he chuckled, moving a hand to her hair and stroking softly.

“My heart, and your heart for that matter, the pieces we gave freely, and yes figuratively, if we imagined them leaving behind holes, then wouldn’t it make sense that the pieces simply switched places?”

She raised her head and looked at him, his fingers tangled in her hair. He smiled, with his eyebrows raised, and she searched his face.

“How are you so cheesy-Swiss cheesy even–and also so goddamn adorable at the same time?” she whispered and he smiled moving his hand from her hair to her face, his thumb running across her lips. She kissed his thumb, his eyes closing as she did.

“A patchwork heart,” she whispered, and he opened his eyes. “The pieces given and shared, making up a new heart. Each of us carrying the other. _God!_ We are so disgustingly sappy! What in the hell happened to us?!” He laughed and she shook her head, making a face. He shook his head and stroked her face again.

“I’ve always been this sappy, as you well know,” he said quietly and she nodded. “A patchwork heart sounds about right. The pieces fitting together imperfectly and yet making it whole. Like a cut-and-paste job by a child in school. It’s messy, but it all fits.” She smiled and he pumped his eyebrows at her. She stroked his face and he leaned into her hand.

“God, I love you. It’s truly so disgusting how much, but I do,” she said softly and he nodded.

“I love you too. Patchwork heart and all.” He smiled and she kissed him gently, cuddling into him once more.

“Patchwork heart and all,” she whispered and he hummed, stroking her hair, the clock ticking behind them as they each took a deep breath, and listened for the beating of their perfectly imperfect patchwork hearts. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading this special story. 
> 
> A birthday celebration for my friend who is very important to me, and has become as close to me as a sister. Add to the fact that it is the 100th story that I have written… That’s a pretty special story. ❤️💕❤️💕
> 
> Happy birthday my pea pod pal. I love you.


End file.
